Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata,
WO Pink-spotted hawkmoth,
stray
This species is a strong migrant and adults nectar from
deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum),
morning glory (Convolvulus), honey suckle (Lonicera)
and petunia (Petunia species).
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Ceratomia amyntor
WO,
the Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is brown with dark brown and white
markings including a white costal area near the wing base, dark
streaks along the veins, and a white spot in the cell.
Larvae feed on Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and
cherry (Prunus). |
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The upperside of the forewing is yellowish brown with no white
markings, but there are indistinct black lines and dashes. The cell
spot is gray with a black outline and the upperside of the hindwing
is yellowish brown with obscure lines.
Catalpa is the larval host. |
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Ceratomia hageni
WO,
Hagen's Sphinx or Osage Orange Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is gray with a green tint and has dark
indistinct wavy lines, and pale gray patches at the wing tip and
along the costa.
generally a more southerly species |
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The upperside of the forewing is pale brownish gray with wavy black
and white lines and a black-outlined white cell spot. |
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Dolba hyloeus
WO, the Pawpaw Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with a dusting of white
scales. Some moths have patches of reddish or yellowish brown on the
wings.
Larve are not limited to pawpaw.
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The upperside of the forewing is gray with heavy black bands. The upperside of the hindwing is brownish gray with no markings.
If you have pines, you
might have this species. It flies on P.E.I.
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The upperside of forewing is gray to grayish brown with a black line
running from the middle of the costa to the middle of the outer
margin; the line may be broken near the margin. There is a splash of
brown around the cell spot.
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This large bodied moth flies in tobacco fields and vegetable gardens
(potatoes, tomatoes) and wherever host plants are found. |
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The upperside of the hindwing is banded with black and white and has
two black zigzag median lines that are very close together with
hardly any white showing between them
Larvae get very large and can strip a tomato plant.
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 | The upperside of the forewing is gray with indistinct black and
white markings. There is a series of black dashes
from the base to the tip, and a small white cell spot.
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Sphinx canadensis
WO,
Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian Sphinx, is not common, and is not often reported anywhere,
but it might possibly be present in Marshall County.
Larval hosts are white ash (Fraxinus americana) and blueberry
(Vaccinium).
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Sphinx chersis
WO, the Northern Ash
Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is soft dark gray to blue-gray with a series of black dashes,
one of which reaches the wing tip. |
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Forewings, long and slender, are held close to the body when the
moth is at rest. We have them on P.E.I.,
but I do not see them nearly as frequently as I see the other Sphingidae. |
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The upperside of the forewing is gray-brown with wavy lines, black dashes, and
one or two small white spots near the center of the costa. |
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Colouration and markings are highly variable from one specimen to another.
The fringes on forewing are mostly black with some white; those on
the hindwing are mostly white with a few black patches. |
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The lower forewings are predominantly brownish-yellow with a fairly
wide dark bar along the inner margin. At rest the wings hug the body,
giving the moth a long slender look.
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Sphinx luscitiosa
WO,
the Canadian Sphinx or
Clemen's Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is yellowish gray in males and pale
gray with a faint yellow tint in females. In both sexes, the dark
border on the outer margin widens as it approaches the inner margin.
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If you have blueberries in the woods, then you probably have the
Poecila Sphinx. They are pretty common here on Prince Edward Island,
but don't fly too far south of Massachusetts, being replaced by
Sphinx gordius in Connecticut. |
Smerinthini Tribe:
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The adults are also highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual
may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to
dark brown, and may have a white or pink tinge.
See the file for the female; she is different. |
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The outer margin of the forewing is quite wavy. There is a dark cell spot and a dark oblique line mid wing from the costa almost to the
inner margin. Basic ground colour is pinkish brown. Flight would be June-July. |
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This small species is probably widespread and common. This species ranges across North America.
The hindwings have a small blue eyespot ringed with black on a yellow background.
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Pachysphinx modesta
WO,
the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx,
This moth has a large, heavy body, and
females can be remarkably plump.
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Smerinthus cerisyi
WO, the Cerisyi's
Sphinx or One-eyed Sphinx, Larvae feed on poplars and willows.
Flight would be from late May-July as a single brood.
Questionable, generally more northerly species
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This moth is widely distributed and fairly common, and it is recorded
in Ingham.
Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida. |
Macroglossinae subfamily
Dilophonotini Tribe:
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Aellopos titan
John Jude, the Titan Sphinx.
The body is dark brown with a wide white stripe across the abdomen.
The wings are dark brown. The upperside of the hindwing has
pale patches along the costa and inner margin. John has seen them
nectaring on his butterfly bush
in September of 2005 and 2006. |
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Erinnyis ello
WO, the Ello Sphinx
The abdomen has very distinct gray and black bands. The female's
forewing upperside is pale gray with a few dark dots near the outer
margin. The male's forewing upperside is dark gray and brown with
a black band running from the base to the tip. stray
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During the night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet
(Saponaria officinalis) and Asystasia gangetica beginning at dusk.
July and August are flight times in the southern states. stray
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See Hemaris comparison
to help distinguish the next three species.
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Hemaris diffinis
John Jude, the Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth,
The moth flies along forest edges and in meadows, gardens and
brushy fields. Day-flying adults nectar at lantana, dwarf bush honeysuckle,
snowberry, orange hawkweed, thistles, lilac, Canada violet, etc.
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In another mage of the same moth as depicted right, the black
dorsal surfaces of the
legs were very evident.
Hemaris diffinis, September 8, 2006, Marshall County,
courtesy of John Jude. Butterfly bush is a popular nectar source
for many of the day-flying Sphingidae. |
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Hemaris gracilis
WO, the
Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing
Hemaris gracilis is distinguished from similar species by a pair of
red-brown bands on the undersides of the thorax, which varies from
green to yellow-green dorsally and sometimes brown with white
underneath. questionable
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Hemaris thysbe
WO, the Hummingbird Clearwing
This interesting day flier is not confirmed for Marshall.
They are widely distributed in the east from P.E.I. to Florida. |
Philampelini Tribe:
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This moth is not reported for Marshall County, but I suspect it is present. It is fairly often
reported along the east coast from southern New Jersey
to central Maine.
Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. |
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If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have
this species. I often get asked to identify larvae from areas where
they have not previously been reported. |
Macroglossini Tribe:
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This day flier is widely distributed. If you have Virginia Creeper,
you probably have the Nessus Sphinx. Two bright, distinct, narrow
yellow bands are often visible on the abdomen.
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They are common in New Jersey and common
here on Prince Edward Island.
You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus,
especially in older literature. |
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Darapsa myron
WO, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx or the
Grapevine Sphinx
This moth is not recorded on the U.S.G.S. site for Marshall County,
but it should be present.
It is widely reported as far north as southern Maine. If you have the
foodplants indicated in the common names, you probably have this
species nearby. |
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If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you may have the
Hydrangea Sphinx. However, it
probably is uncommon.
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The moth's outer margin of the forewing is deeply scalloped.
The upperside is light brown with dark brown markings.
There is a small black and white spot near the tip.
The upperside of the hindwing is orange-brown with a dark brown
outer margin and median line.
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Hyles gallii
WO, the Bedstraw Hawk Moth
or Gallium Sphinx
This species is not reported in Marshall County,
but it may be present.
Some years I see them on P.E.I., some years, I do not.
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Hyles lineata
John Jude, the White-lined Sphinx
Adults usually fly at dusk, during the night, and at dawn, but they
also fly during the day over a wide variety of open habitats
including deserts, suburbs, and gardens. |
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This moth is very much under reported on USGS. It is a
rapid day flier so is probably not in too many collections.
Grape is a popular larval host.
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The upperside of the forewing is pale brown with lavender-gray at the
base and has dark brown lengthwise lines throughout.
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